DEATH

"Death in a family had great effects. For instance, no one would live in a wickiup in which a death had taken place. And also, the Apache never called their dead relatives by their names, but always called them “that girl,” “that boy,” “that woman or man.”¹²The Apache fear of the dead and everything connected with them. Thus, they usually buried the dead the same day they died in order to avoid any contacts with them. The Apache made the burial as far away as possible. It was either took place in the ground or in a hole in the rock. On one hand, the personal belongings of the dead and their wickiups were burned or destroyed. On the other hand, the family moved to a new site immediately. Their movement mustn’t be far, and it might just be to a neighboring field. The main purpose of doing so is to trick the ghost. After their arrival to a new place, the deaths’ relatives would also change their hairstyle to avoid the ghost of recognizing them. Apache Indians would never approach graves even though the buried were their friends are relatives.

They believed that anyone who mentioned or even thought about the death would bring the ghost back. Besides, they also suspect anyone who approaches the grave to be considered as a witch. The main reason of their dodging the ghost is because they were afraid that it would return and seek revenge on them. Also, if the dead was not buried properly, they were believed to return and give punishment to the one who buried them of their neglect. In brief, Death stands as a significant event in Apache family".¹³